Sending a photo of your ID in Canada: who can ask, and when to say no
Only after you have checked who is asking and why. A Canadian landlord who just needs to confirm your identity usually has no reason to keep a copy, your SIN is required only where the law demands it, and in Ontario only health providers can require your health card. If you do send something, send one document, marked for one recipient.
Who can insist on which document
Anyone can ask; far fewer can require. Canadian rules draw the line differently for each card:
| Document | Who can require it | What the official source says |
|---|---|---|
| SIN | Employers, financial institutions and government programs that need it by law | Service Canada: you cannot be refused a product or service for withholding a SIN the law does not require |
| Ontario health card | Providers of provincially funded health services | Ontario’s health privacy act: no one else may require you to produce it |
| Driver’s licence | Police, while you drive (Ontario’s handbook says to produce it on request) | Privacy Commissioner: not a universal identity card; photocopying or scanning one generally goes too far for a retailer |
| Passport | Government services whose application asks for it, such as IRCC | IRCC: give a photocopy only when you are sure it is going to a trusted organization or person |
Renting is the common test. The Privacy Commissioner says privacy law does not stop a landlord asking for ID, that one who only needs to confirm your identity likely does not need a copy, and that a credit check needs at minimum your name, address and date of birth.
Four questions before you attach anything
- Who are you? Check through a phone number or website you found yourself, not one in the message.
- What is it for? Under PIPEDA, an organization must identify its purposes by the time it collects personal information, and collect only what they need.
- Is seeing it enough? Offer to show the card in person or on a video call.
- When will you delete it? The Commissioner says landlords should not keep information longer than necessary.
If the answers hold up, send one document, watermarked with the recipient and purpose, with the numbers they do not need covered, through the organization’s own portal when it has one.
Warning signs specific to Canadian ID
- A caller from the “Passport Program” asks for your SIN. IRCC says passport applications never require it; hang up and call 1-800-567-6868 to check.
- Someone offers to speed up a passport application for a fee. IRCC says no third party can do that.
- Payment is requested in gift cards. IRCC tells you not to pay for passport services that way.
- After a scam, someone offers to recover your money for a fee. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s advice is never to send recovery money.
If a copy already reached the wrong person
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre sets out the order. Gather the messages and receipts. Contact your financial institutions, flag your accounts, change your passwords and report the fraud to Equifax and TransUnion. Report it to local police and keep the file number, then to the Centre online or at 1-888-495-8501. For a passport, contact the Passport Program; for a licence or health card, the issuing province or territory.
Dokus cannot verify who is asking or recall a file you sent. It keeps originals encrypted and makes each share a separate, marked copy. To clear loose copies already on your phone, see locking document copies on iPhone.
Sending ID: Canadian questions
Can a landlord in Canada ask for my SIN?
They can ask, but you do not have to provide it. Service Canada lists renting a property among the cases where the SIN is not required, and says you cannot be denied a product or service for refusing to give a SIN the law does not require.
Can a gym or an employer in Ontario require my health card?
No. Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act says no one may require you to produce your health card unless they provide you with provincially funded health services. Offer another document if identification is genuinely needed.
Someone from the Passport Program wants my SIN. What should I do?
Hang up. IRCC says passport applications never require your SIN and that you should not give it to anyone claiming to work for the Passport Program. Call 1-800-567-6868 to confirm who you are dealing with.
Is it safer to send a scan by email or through a portal?
A portal run by the organization you verified is usually better, because an email attachment stays in inboxes and backups on both sides. Either way, send one marked copy of the requested document only.
